SUSTAINABILITY

Our Commitment to
Sustainability

A coastal town with a church spire and wind turbines in the background, adjacent to a calm, blue sea under a clear sky.
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Our alumina’s carbon footprint is orders of magnitude lower than our industry peers.

  • Scope 1  0.00 CO2e kg
  • Scope 2 0.07 CO2e kg
  • Scope 3 0.70 CO2e kg

Sustainability Focus Areas

 

Discover how we are addressing climate change, enhancing environmental stewardship, and implementing strong governance practices to drive our sustainability goals.

  • Climate
  • Environment
  • Circular 
Economy
  • Social
  • Governance
  • Sustainability Reporting
Climate +
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Climate

Our process for manufacturing ultra pure aluminium derivatives leads the way in terms of cost, energy intensity and environmental performance.

We have tailored the process to rely solely on electricity for its energy needs such that, when powered renewably, it achieves close to zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

Environment +
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Environment

From our beginnings as a team of scientists looking to modernise alumina production to our now full implementation of true zero-emissions production of alumina, we have undergone a transformative journey to become a leading representative for sustainable manufacturing. Our record low emissions rest on the ingenuity of Quebec’s scientists and the province’s abundant renewable energy infrastructure.

Our total Scope 1-3 emissions sit at 0.7 kg CO2e/ kg of HPA produced, a standard we wish to set as the reference for sustainable industrial alumina manufacturing.

We are certified to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 standards as part of our ongoing commitment to quality management, the environment and safety.

Circular 
Economy +
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Circular Economy

Committed to a circular economy, we collaborate with major customers to recycle their aluminous waste into a feedstock for our production of alumina.

Social +
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Social

We are proud to have founded and launched the Green Alliance for Sustainable Sapphire, which joins together key members of the sapphire value chain who share a common goal to lessen the environmental impact of sapphire manufacturing.

Traditional sapphire manufacturing is both energy intensive and wasteful, often requiring weeks of controlled high-temperature processing fuelled by natural gas heating sources. Given that alumina has a Mohs hardness value of 9, behind only materials such as diamond and silicon carbide, the cutting process for raw sapphire is intensive. The amount of usable sapphire that remains after cutting depends on the application and method, but there is typically between 60% and 95% of wastage. The CO2 emissions from the gas required in the manufacturing process and the low yield of the final product combine to generate extremely high Scope emissions in the sapphire value chain. Luxury watch maker Richemont alone reported total Scope 3 emissions of 1395 t CO2e from purchased goods and services in 2023, a significant portion of which was caused by sapphire production.

Governance +
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Governance

Ethical management is a core value in all of our work departments. Our Cap-Chat production site has a total recordable injury rate (TRIR) of 0 over a 10-year period.

Sustainability Reporting +
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Sustainability Reporting

Assessed against ISO 14067, and with pending applications with leading sustainability reporting organisations, we aim to bolster our sustainability performance through traceable, transparent reporting.
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